The Best Smartphone Flagships of 2016

Presenting the best of the best

Each year, smartphone manufacturers launch a flagship smartphones that is simply stunning and make the older flagships seem completely obsolete. From DSLR-like camera features to premium bodies, these smartphones have it all. 2016 is extremely special with each smartphone taking technology to a completely new level. From new entrants to older brands bettering themselves, this year saw it all. Flagship devices set the trend for the coming year and most budget devices simply try to emulate these phones. They are the trendsetters in the smartphone industry. The phone you use says a lot about you. The choices are many and if you’re planning a new buy, why not go for the best? Here are some of the top flagship smartphones of 2016.

1

iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 7

There’s hardly any need to give an introduction to Apple iPhones. Years have passed since the first iPhone launched and yet, the devices continue to be a status symbol in India. Apple launched iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus this year. The phones are pathbreaking as they come with amazing new features. The biggest change is that both phones are now water-resistant. iPhone 7 Plus is clearly the bigger and better of the two devices. It comes with a 12 MP dual camera and capable of Bokeh photography. Both iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 7 come in 3 internal memory variants – 32GB, 128GB and 256GB. The phones come in a brilliant new shade – Jet Black. This variant is the most popular of all shades. The phones have recently launched in and are available starting Rs 60,000 and go up to Rs 92,000. The phone is powered by iOS 10, the latest iOS version which brings a lot of modifications to the device.

2

Google Pixel XL and Google Pixel

Google has always been in the smartphone race with their Google Nexus range but the phones were always manufactured by some other brand. With their 2016 flagship Google Pixel XL and Google Pixel, they have finally decided to rebrand the phones completely, enhancing every aspect from design to functionality. There’s not too much of a difference in Google Pixel XL and Google Pixel except for their display size and battery life. Both phones come with a 12 MP rear end camera that has received the best smartphone rating so far with a DXOMark rating of 89. The phones claim to provide 7 hours of talktime in just 15 minutes of charge. While Google Pixel phones come in just 2 internal memory variants, Google has provided unlimited lifetime cloud storage with the devices. It is also the first phone to run Android Nougat and comes with Google Assistant.
Also Read: Phone-lympics: All-stars of the Smartphone World

3

Samsung Galaxy S7 and Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge

Samsung is one of the best smartphone brands in India and Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge along with its younger sibling, the Samsung Galaxy S7 arrived in style as the Samsung flagships for 2016 . Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge comes with a 5.5 inches QHD curved edge display and a Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen. The phone runs Android Marshmallow out of the box. Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge comes with an octa-core processor and 4GB RAM. The phone comes with 12MP rear end camera and a 5MP front end camera. The curved display bends around the edges of the device to give it a sleek, classy look. The phone comes in just one internal memory variant, 32GB and supports memory expansion up to further 256 GB through a dedicated MicroSD card slot. Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge is available in 3 colour variants – silver, black and gold. The phone is available for Rs 50,900 in India.

4

Sony Xperia XZ

Sony's known for their image quality phones along with great design and features. This year’s flagship device, Sony Xperia XZ launched just recently in India and is already proving to be one of the best flagships till date. The phone comes in the all sleek Sony form factor and like all Sony flagship devices, is water-resistant and dust-resistant. Sony Xperia XZ comes with a 5.2-inch full HD display with Triluminos technology. Under the hood runs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 64-bit Quad-core processor and the phone comes in 64GB internal memory variant (expandable up to 256 GB) with 3GB RAM. The highlight of the device is the 23MP camera with the triple image sensing technology and a 13MP front camera. Sony is renowned for their cameras and many other smartphone brands use Sony cameras in their devices. Sony Xperia XZ is available in 3 colours – black, white and blue and comes with a 2900 mAh battery. The phone runs Android Marshmallow with the promised Nougat update. At Rs 49,999, it is one of the few flagships in the less than 50k price bracket in India.

5

HTC 10

HTC might not be as popular as Samsung or Sony in India but their devices spell class, style and durability. Their 2016 flagship phone, HTC 10 which was launched in May this year might be one of the earlier flagships but it still has all the features and the class of the latest flagships. The Android device runs Android Marshmallow with Android Nougat in the offing. Under the hood runs a 64-bit, Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor. HTC 10 comes with a 5.2 inch Quad HD display protected by Gorilla Glass. The phone is available in just 1 internal memory variant – 32 GB with 3GB RAM and the available memory is 23GB. The phone supports expansion up to 2TB. HTC is famous for moving away from the Mega Pixels and launching Ultra Pixels and HTC 10 comes with 12 ultra pixels resolution rear end camera and a 5MP front camera. HTC Sense, which is HTC’s personalised skin and one of the quirkiest Android skins runs on HTC 10. The phone comes with a 3000 mAh battery and is priced at Rs 47,990 in India although it was launched at Rs 52,990.

6

LG G5

Another one of the early flagships, LG G5 continues the LG G series tradition in 2016. LG ventured into the modular space for the first time with the LG G5 and though not a completely modular device, it does offer some tweaks to users and is quite interesting thanks to the modular features. Unlike traditional devices, LG G5 does not open from the back but rather, the entire bottom chin of the phone can be dislocated to replace some of the modules within. It is definitely a device for the adventurous and if you love experimenting with your gadget then the LG G5 is perfect for you. The Android Marshmallow device comes with dual Hybrid SIM card slot and under the hood runs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 quad-core processor. The phone comes with 4 GB RAM. The display is Quad-HD like in most flagship devices. It has a dual camera set-up at the back – the first is 16 MP normal and the second is 8 MP wide angle lens. Apart from iPhone 7 Plus, this is the only 2016 flagship to feature a dual camera. It is priced at Rs 54000 in India.

7

Motorola Moto X Force

We Indians love Motorola gadgets and despite the confusing path Motorola has walked in recent times from Google to Lenovo, it is still one of the most loved brands in India. Hello Moto was the mantra of many Indians who are loyal to the brand till date. Recently launched Motorola Moto X Force is Motorola’s 2016 flagship in India and it is one of the cheapest flagships in the country. Motorola Moto X came with the world’s first shatterproof display making it one of the strongest contenders in the durable phones category. It comes with a 5.4-inch shatter shield QuadHD display. The Motorola Moto X Force 3760 mAh battery which Motorola claims gives it 30 hours of battery life with TurboCharge which gives 8 hours of battery power in just 15 minutes! Although not water resistant, the display comes with water resistant coating and the phone comes with a 21 MP camera. The Motorola Moto X Force is priced at Rs 34,999 although the device is available for as low as Rs 26,999 in India.
Images via technobuffalo.com, futurecdn.net, androidcentral.com, amazonaws.com, droid-life.com, fonearena.com, technohacker.com

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